105010 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: December 20, 2024. 

Kelly Denit, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31018 Filed 12–20–24; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE550] 

Schedules for Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops and 

Protected Species Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshops 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public workshops. 

SUMMARY: Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, 

and Identification Workshops will be 

held in January, February, and March of 

2025. Certain fishermen and shark 

dealers are required to attend a 

workshop to meet regulatory 

requirements and to maintain valid 

permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshop is mandatory 

for all federally permitted Atlantic shark 

dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshop is mandatory 

for vessel owners and operators who use 

bottom longline, pelagic longline, or 

gillnet gear, and who have also been 

issued shark or swordfish limited access 

permits. Additional free workshops will 

be conducted in 2025 and will be 

announced in a future notice. In 

addition, NMFS has implemented 

online recertification workshops for 

persons who have already taken an inperson training. 

DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops will be held on January 16, 

2025, February 13, 2025, and March 20, 

2025. The Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops will be held 

on January 7, 2025, February 4, 2025, 

and March 6, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops will be held in 

Kenner, LA, Fort Pierce, FL, and 

Wilmington, NC. The Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshops 

will be held in Marathon, FL, 

Portsmouth, NH, and Houston, TX. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elsa 

Gutierrez by email at elsa.gutierrez@

noaa.gov or by phone at 301–427–8503. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic 

highly migratory species (HMS) 

fisheries (tunas, swordfish, sharks, and 

billfish) are managed under the 2006 

Consolidated HMS Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) and its amendments, 

pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 

1801 et seq.) and consistent with the 

Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (16 

U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS implementing 

regulations are at 50 CFR part 635. 

Section 635.8 describes the 

requirements for the Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshops and Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshops. The workshop schedules, 

registration information, and a list of 

frequently asked questions regarding the 

Atlantic Shark Identification and Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

workshops are available online at: 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantichighly-migratory-species/atlantic-sharkidentification-workshops and https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops. 

Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops 

Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark 

dealers have been prohibited from 

receiving, purchasing, trading, or 

bartering for Atlantic sharks unless a 

valid Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshop certificate is on the premises 

of each business listed under the shark 

dealer permit that first receives Atlantic 

sharks (71 FR 58058, October 2, 2006). 

Dealers who attend and successfully 

complete a workshop are issued a 

certificate for each place of business that 

is permitted to receive sharks. These 

certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, 

certificates that were initially issued in 

2022 will expire in 2025. 

Currently, permitted dealers may send 

a proxy to an Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshop. However, if a 

dealer opts to send a proxy, the dealer 

must designate a proxy for each place of 

business covered by the dealer’s permit 

that first receives Atlantic sharks. Only 

one certificate will be issued to each 

proxy. A proxy must be a person who 

is currently employed by a place of 

business covered by the dealer’s permit; 

is a primary participant in the 

identification, weighing, and/or first 

receipt of fish as they are offloaded from 

a vessel; and who fills out dealer 

reports. Atlantic shark dealers are 

prohibited from renewing a Federal 

shark dealer permit unless a valid 

Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop 

certificate for each business location 

that first receives Atlantic sharks has 

been submitted with the permit renewal 

application. Additionally, a copy of a 

valid dealer or proxy Atlantic Shark 

Identification Workshop certificate must 

be in any trucks or other conveyances 

that are extensions of a dealer’s place of 

business. 

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations 

1. January 16, 2025, 12 p.m.–4 p.m., 

Home2 Suites Kenner Airport, 1112 

Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Kenner, 

LA 70062. 2. February 13, 2025, 12 

p.m.–4 p.m., Hampton Inn & Suites Fort 

Pierce, 1985 Reynolds Drive, Fort 

Pierce, FL 34945. 3. March 20, 2025, 12 

p.m.–4 p.m., Wingate by Wyndham 

Wilmington, 5126 Market Street Bus 17, 

Wilmington, NC 28405. 

Registration 

To register for a scheduled Atlantic 

Shark Identification Workshop, please 

contact Eric Sander at ericssharkguide@

yahoo.com or at 386–852–8588. Preregistration is highly recommended, but 

not required. 

Registration Materials 

To ensure that workshop certificates 

are linked to the correct permits, 

participants will need to bring the 

following specific items to the 

workshop: 

• Atlantic shark dealer permit holders 

must bring proof that the attendee is an 

owner or agent of the business (such as 

articles of incorporation), a copy of the 

applicable permit, and proof of 

identification. 

• Atlantic shark dealer proxies must 

bring documentation from the permitted 

dealer acknowledging that the proxy is 

attending the workshop on behalf of the 

permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a 

specific business location, a copy of the 

appropriate valid permit, and proof of 

identification. 

Workshop Objectives 

The Atlantic Shark Identification 

Workshops are designed to reduce the 

number of unknown and improperly 

identified sharks reported in the dealer 

reporting form and increase the 

accuracy of species-specific dealerreported information. Reducing the 

number of unknown and improperly 

identified sharks will improve quota 

monitoring and the data used in stock 

assessments. These workshops will train 

shark dealer permit holders or their 

proxies to properly identify Atlantic 

shark carcasses. 

Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops 

Since January 1, 2007, shark limited 

access and swordfish limited access 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 105011 

permit holders who fish with longline 

or gillnet gear have been required to 

submit a copy of their Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshop 

certificate in order to renew either 

permit (71 FR 58058, October 2, 2006). 

These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. 

Certificates issued in 2022 will expire in 

2025. As such, vessel owners who have 

not already attended a workshop and 

received a NMFS certificate, or vessel 

owners whose certificate(s) will expire 

prior to the next permit renewal, must 

attend a workshop to fish with, or 

renew, their swordfish and shark 

limited access permits. Additionally, 

new shark and swordfish limited access 

permit applicants who intend to fish 

with longline or gillnet gear must attend 

a Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshop and submit a 

copy of their workshop certificate before 

either of the permits will be issued. 

In addition to vessel owners, at least 

one operator on board vessels issued a 

limited access swordfish or shark permit 

that uses longline or gillnet gear is 

required to attend a Safe Handling, 

Release, and Identification Workshop 

and receive a certificate. Vessels that 

have been issued a limited access 

swordfish or shark permit and that use 

longline or gillnet gear may not fish 

unless both the vessel owner and 

operator have valid workshop 

certificates on board at all times. Vessel 

operators who have not already 

attended a workshop and received a 

NMFS certificate, or vessel operators 

whose certificate(s) will expire prior to 

their next fishing trip, must attend a 

workshop to operate a vessel with 

swordfish and shark limited access 

permits on which longline or gillnet 

gear is used. 

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations 

1. January 7, 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Faro

Blanco Resort Curio by Hilton, 1996 

Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. 

2. February 4, 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.,

Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown 

Portsmouth, 100 Deer Street, 

Portsmouth, NH 03801. 

3. March 6, 2025, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.,

Holiday Inn Express–Houston Medical 

Center, 9300 S. Main Street, Houston, 

TX 77025. 

Registration 

To register for a scheduled Safe 

Handling, Release, and Identification 

Workshop, please contact Angler 

Conservation Education at 386–682– 

0158. Pre-registration is highly 

recommended, but not required. 

Registration Materials 

To ensure that workshop certificates 

are linked to the correct permits, 

participants will need to bring the 

following specific items with them to 

the workshop: 

• Individual vessel owners must

bring a copy of the appropriate 

swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy 

of the vessel registration or 

documentation, and proof of 

identification; 

• Representatives of a businessowned or co-owned vessel must bring 

proof that the individual is an agent of 

the business (such as articles of 

incorporation), a copy of the applicable 

swordfish and/or shark permit(s), and 

proof of identification; and 

• Vessel operators must bring proof of

identification. 

Workshop Objectives 

The Safe Handling, Release, and 

Identification Workshops are designed 

to teach the owner and operator of a 

vessel that fishes with longline or gillnet 

gear the required techniques for the safe 

handling and release of entangled and/ 

or hooked protected species, such as sea 

turtles, marine mammals, smalltooth 

sawfish, Atlantic sturgeon, and 

prohibited sharks. In an effort to 

improve reporting, the proper 

identification of protected species and 

prohibited sharks will also be taught at 

these workshops. Additionally, 

individuals attending these workshops 

will gain a better understanding of the 

requirements for participating in these 

fisheries. The overall goal of these 

workshops is to provide participants 

with the skills needed to reduce the 

mortality of protected species and 

prohibited sharks, which may prevent 

additional regulations on these fisheries 

in the future. 

Online Recertification Workshops 

NMFS implemented an online option 

for shark dealers and owners and 

operators of vessels that fish with 

longline and gillnet gear to renew their 

certificates in December 2021. To be 

eligible for online recertification 

workshops, dealers and vessel owners 

and operators need to have previously 

attended an in-person workshop. 

Information about the courses is 

available online at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/atlantic-sharkidentification-workshops and https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/safe-handling-releaseand-identification-workshops. To access 

the course please visit: https://

hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: December 18, 2024. 

Kelly Denit, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30668 Filed 12–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities Under OMB Review 

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), this notice announces that the 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

abstracted below has been forwarded to 

the Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs (OIRA), of the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB), for 

review and comment. The ICR describes 

the nature of the information collection 

and its expected costs and burden. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before January 27, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of this 

notice’s publication to OIRA, at https:// 

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 

Please find this particular information 

collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 

30-day Review—Open for Public

Comments’’ or by using the website’s

search function. Comments can be

entered electronically by clicking on the

‘‘comment’’ button next to the

information collection on the ‘‘OIRA

Information Collections Under Review’’

page, or the ‘‘View ICR—Agency

Submission’’ page. A copy of the

supporting statement for the collection

of information discussed herein may be

obtained by visiting https://

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

In addition to the submission of 

comments to https://Reginfo.gov as 

indicated above, a copy of all comments 

submitted to OIRA may also be 

submitted to the Commodity Futures 

Trading Commission (the 

‘‘Commission’’ or ‘‘CFTC’’) by clicking 

on the ‘‘Submit Comment’’ box next to 

the descriptive entry for OMB Control 

No. 3038–3043, at https://

comments.cftc.gov/FederalRegister/ 

PublicInfo.aspx. 

Or by either of the following methods: 

• Mail: Christopher Kirkpatrick,

Secretary of the Commission,


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